Somebody to Love
by goldgirlbomb
Summary: Life couldn't be any better for Dylan and her boyfriend Kenshi ... that is until a mob gang has put a bounty on the Black Foxes heads.
1. Chapter 1

Breathe in, breathe out, repeat. Breathe in, breathe out, repeat. Dylan kept repeating the phrase in her mind continuously as she crept through the hallway. Using her senses to guide her through the darkened corridor, she felt against the walls with her hands, trying to guide herself to the desired room. It was deathly quiet, aside from the occasional chatter from her earpiece, and Dylan could practically feel her heart pounding through her chest. It wasn't as if she hadn't done this before, but the stakes were much higher this time, a much higher risk of being caught.

"Takuto, tell us where the hell this thing is!" Riki whispered fiercely from in front of her.

"If you turn right into this next room, the artifact should be inside." The hacker replied, the sound of his fingers flying across his keyboard echoing in the background.

The Black Foxes were trying to steal back some artifacts that had been taken by a local mobster organization, one that they dealt with almost on a regular basis. The organization dealt a lot with the black market, and were particularly notorious for stealing artwork or any historical relics of value. This time in particular, they managed to intercept a shipment of priceless artifacts coming into Dylan's museum, and had taken a few to be sold. It had, of course, not taken the Black Foxes long to figure out who had taken the artifacts, and had quickly come to take them back.

"Everything's clear out here." Hiro said from his end of the transceiver. While Takuto waited in the van as usual, Hiro had disguised himself as one of the mobsters, and was following around some of the security details.

Dylan felt a shiver run down her spine at the chilled air surrounding them. It wasn't like this was the first time they had broken into the organization's headquarters to steal things back, something about tonight made her nervous. The mobster's had upped their security since the Black Foxes last break in, and even Takuto had had a challenging time trying to hack into their upgraded system.

Her part in this task was to be one of the more difficult ones, and she wondered furiously if she'd be able to do it with her nerves eating at her the way they were. One wrong move on her part and they'd all be caught, and for her, possibly killed Dylan chewed quietly on her lower lip as she followed behind Riki with her boyfriend, Kenshi, right behind her. He seemed to sense her nervousness and reached forward for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Though he couldn't see it in the shroud darkness, she smiled back at him over her shoulder, appreciative of the small gesture. Dylan felt the room Takuto had talked about coming up with her fingers, following after Riki into the dark room.

"Alright Takuto we're in. Can you highlight the beams for us now?" Riki said, feeling as Dylan and Kenshi came in after him, and shutting the door behind them. Dylan heard as Takuto typed away furiously at his keyboard, and then before the three Foxes, the room became illuminated from the red laser beams, scattered around the room and imprisoning the artifacts on the other side. Dylan sighed as she stretched her arms out, readying herself for her task.

Riki came over and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "It'll be cake for you. Just remember that the switch to turn these off is on the right side."

Kenshi smiled at her and squeezed her hand with his. "You'll be fine, I promise." Though his words were assuring, she could see anxiety tugging at the corners of his eyes. Kenshi hadn't exactly been thrilled with the idea of her doing this, but it was just something that had to be done, so she had volunteered to take one for the time.

Dylan returned his smile and turned, heading towards the beams. Having found that she was, by far, the most flexible of the Black Foxes, she was the one to contort her body around the lasers to get to the other side. She began the daunting task, maneuvering her body around the flashes of red that surrounded her. It was as if the breath had been sucked from the room, both the men behind her watching with bated breath as she continued in her path to the lever that she could now see on the other side of the lasers. A laser in front of her sizzled loudly as a bead of sweat dropped down from her forehead, and she heard both Riki and Kenshi suck in their breaths loudly.

Kenshi looked at her worriedly. "Dylan, you okay?"

"I'm fine. It was sweat." She called out quickly, calming both men. He seemed to relax at her words, but looked to continue watching her move about the room in front of him, nervous sweat trickling down his own forehead.

Dylan's mind concentrated on her movements, mentally ordering her body to move at her whim. Her mind was screaming effort and precision, trying to make her movements as fluid as she possibly could. She had practiced the motions before, having set up a mock scenario similar to this in preparation. But this was different. She'd used string in her practicing. These were lasers. One wrong move and not only would she be seriously injured, but it would trigger a high alert that would cause the Black Foxes to possibly get caught. She couldn't let that happen.

Stepping up and over lasers. Bending her body backwards and forwards to avoid the red stream of light. Her muscles groaned loudly with strain as she made the last final steps, contorting her body around one particularly pesky laser. But she managed to get around it with graceful ease, and slapped her hand out at the lever, turning the lasers off instantly.

Riki came up and patted her again on the back and smiled. "Nice work Dylan! Alright, help me get these artifacts in the bag, Kenshi watch the door." Kenshi nodded, throwing Dylan an approving grin, and going towards the door to peer outside. The leader of the Black Foxes pulled a large bag from behind him and, with Dylan's help, quickly packed the stolen items into the sack. Just as quickly as they came in, the three then quickly made their way back out, Kenshi watching their backs. His pistol tucked away inside his jacket.

"We got them Takuto, Hiro. Start up the van and we'll be out in a few moments." Riki whispered fiercely, Dylan and Kenshi following closely behind.

"You got a problem first there boss, some guards coming up from behind you." Takuto replied sharply.

"Riki, you take Dylan and get her out of here. I'll make sure these guys don't follow us out." Kenshi said from behind her, a rush of wind at Dylan's side telling her that he had already rushed away before she could even protest. Not asking questions, Riki grabbed her wrist and quickly dragged her towards the exit. The two scurried stealthily across the street to the parked van waiting for them, Riki pushing her inside before climbing in behind her.

Takuto looked up at them from the computer on his lap. "You get them?"

Riki smiled triumphantly. "Of course we did. The Black Foxes strike again!" Both Dylan and Takuto rolled their eyes at his statement, and Takuto went back to monitoring the screen. Riki went about checking each of the relics, making sure that they had the correct number of stolen items, and making sure that they weren't fakes. Only seconds later did Hiro and Kenshi follow, jumping into the van behind them. Takuto threw the van into gear and the car leapt forward, the sounds of guards yelling at them drowning away with distance.

Kenshi came over and sat next to Dylan, wrapping an arm protectively around her and giving her a gentle squeeze. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, leaning her head against him. Snuggling into his loving warmth.

"You think they figured out it was us by now?" Kenshi asked, looking over at Riki.

Riki chuckled. "Probably not. They haven't figured it out yet."

"It'll only be a matter of time before they're going to want to know exactly who is taking their stuff." Takuto said from the front of the van.

Dylan nodded. "Yeah, it's not like this is the first time we've broken into their storage facility to steal things back from them. They know the Black Foxes have been responsible for the other heists. Don't you think that they're going to want to find out who exactly we are?"

"I agree. They've upped their security ten-fold since the last time we were here. They're probably trying to catch us in the act, but just haven't been able to yet. It'll be only a matter of time before they start digging around to find out who each of us are." Takuto said, glancing back at the group.

Hiro, sitting opposite Dylan and Kenshi, was tossing off some of his disguise. "I heard some of the other guys talking while I was following them around. They're pissed that we keep coming in."

Riki nodded studiously. "What else did they say?"

"I heard one of them saying their boss has put a price on our heads. Individually."

"They know how many of us there are?"

"Sounded like it. Luckily one of them said they had a hard time identifying who we were because of the lack of video evidence, thanks to Takuto. But they definitely said they had their own bounty out for five men... and one woman..." Hiro said, glancing briefly at Dylan.

Riki raked a hand through his dark hair. "Well the important thing is that they only know us by how many of us there are. They don't know who any of us there are."

"Still though. Shouldn't we involve the police? Have them help us take them out?" Hiro chimed in, pulling off his fake mustache.

Riki scoffed. "And what? Just tell them that we're the Black Foxes and we're afraid the people we're stealing from might try to hunt us down? No. This'll be the last heist on our part for a while. We'll just lay low for a while until their activity starts to go down."

"Well what if it doesn't? What if they are getting mad enough to try to track us down?" Kenshi asked, hugging Dylan tighter into his side.

"Then if we have to, we will involve the police. I agree that these guys need to be taken out for good, they're bad news all around, but right now isn't the best time. For us. Takuto will continue to monitor their activity to make sure they don't make any moves for us. So in the meantime, we will just lay low." The Black Fox leader ordered, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against his seat.

Dylan looked up at Kenshi. "You don't think that they're going to try to come after us individually... Do you?"

Kenshi shook his head, but she could see in his eyes that even he looked a little on edge. "No, I don't think so. We've been extremely careful in covering our tracks and Takuto has done a good job of scrambling their system. We'll be alright honey, I promise." He kissed her forehead, and the whole van went into silence. Each of them thinking the same thing. A war would soon be brewing, and it would be coming straight for them. They just didn't know how soon that would be.


	2. Chapter 2

Later that evening, after being dropped off, Dylan tossed her bag onto the sofa and went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. It had been an extremely long day, and despite how bone-achingly her body felt, she still felt completely alert. She had work early the next day, and she desperately needed the sleep, so she went to fix herself a nice, hot cup of tea to settle her nerves. Although that in itself would be quite the feat, the idea of the mobsters coming after everyone rattling around continuously in her mind.

"You want some tea Kenshi?" She asked, hearing her boyfriend sitting down on the sofa next to her bag.

"Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks!" He replied, trying to sound like his usual cheerful self. But even she could tell from his voice that he was starting to worry. She stopped in her tracks and turned around, going over towards Kenshi and kneeling down in front of him, so that she could look up at his face. A smile touched his gentle face as she took his face in her hands, rubbing a thumb across his cheek.

She gave him a delicate smile. "We'll be alright. Everything's going to work out just fine."

"I know. I trust Riki... I just worry that they will start trying to hunt us down. We have taken several pretty valuable things from them lately."

"Yeah I know, but try not to worry. We've taken things from other rings just like these guys, and while they've threatened to try to find us, they never did. Why should we worry about these guys now?"

"I'm not really worried all that much about me. I'm more concerned about you. How are you holding up with all of this?" Kenshi asked, pulling her into his lap facing him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm alright. I mean I know that there's a chance that they'll try to look up the Black Foxes, but we've done a good job in keeping them, and everyone else for that matter, off our tracks. So I don't want to worry about it."

He smiled and leaned forward, gently kissing her lips. "Well then let's not worry about it for the moment. Let's do something else."

"Like what?"

"Well I don't know about you, I'm not really all that tired right now."

Dylan sighed. "Me neither. Too jittery from everything that happened."

"Then let's finish watching that movie we started the other day. We both fell asleep before it ended, but I'd kind of like to see what happens." He said and Dylan smiled, nodding her head.

"Yeah! You go put it in and I'll go make us some popcorn too! You still want tea too?" She said excitedly.

Kenshi chuckled at her newly found enthusiasm. "Yeah sure!"

Dylan sprang up from his lap and went into the kitchen. Dylan happily went about fixing their tea and popcorn, an unlikely, yet delicious combination. Anything to keep her mind off of the possible dangers lurking around was a good thing at that point. She was just as worried about everything as Kenshi was, but she didn't want to think about it. Because if she did, she would dwell on it, and it would just eat her away until everything did clear up. And with the new shipment of artifacts and relics coming (back) into the museum, she didn't want the stress to get in the way of her work.

Pouring the contents of the popcorn bag into a bowl, she grabbed it, along with their tea cups, and went back into the living room. She actually was rather curious about how the movie ended, having heard such good reviews of it from Ranko, and wanted to see the rest. She placed the popcorn bowl on the coffee table in front of them and handed Kenshi his cup. Steam rose from his cup and tickled his nose, causing him scrunch it up. The act was rather cute and Dylan smiled. Sitting down next to him and holding her own warm cup in both hands, she cuddled into Kenshi's side as he turned the movie on, starting up where they last finished.

The smell of popcorn and tea intermingled sensuously in the air, and Dylan sighed contently. It had been several days since she and Kenshi had actually sat down like this, and it was rather nice. Their schedules had been kind of hectic lately, with both work and Black Fox activities, they hadn't had much alone time. And even if it was already late at night, and sleep would soon try to take them away before work the next day, Dylan decided to enjoy this.

Kenshi wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her more snuggly against him, and sipped at his tea. Watching the drama unfold on the screen, Dylan sipped at her own tea. The delicious liquid warming up her senses. Kenshi leaned forward slightly and grabbed a couple of pieces of popcorn from the bowl. Holding his head back against the couch, he tossed the popcorn into the air and tried to catch the kernels with his mouth. One piece landed in his mouth with a crunch. Two pieces slam-dunked in. Then, missing a few pieces by a mile, Dylan laughed. She loved how goofy and silly her boyfriend could be, laughter rolling over her as he grabbed a few more pieces and tried to get her to do the same. She, much more skillful than he, managed to toss all of her popcorn pieces up and into her mouth. She clenched the last piece of popcorn between her teeth and held it up for him to see in victory, but his mouth covered hers before she could protest. His tongue swept into her mouth, and he pulled back. Displaying the stolen piece of popcorn between his own teeth and crunching down on it.

The two played together like this for a while before settling down to attempt to watch the movie again. Explosive action filled up the screen, and Dylan tried to focus in on it, but found herself paying more attention to the man holding her against him. He seemed to notice her glances, and grinned at her, grabbing the remote control and turning the television off all together. A rather mischievous look in his eye. Pushing her back against the couch, his lips found hers, and Dylan giggled.

They ended up not finishing the movie once again.


	3. Chapter 3

Dylan awoke several hours later when her alarm went off. She groaned, leaning over and slapping at it with her hand. A yawn escaped her, stretching her arms above her head. The warm body that had been cuddling against her all night had disappeared, and she glanced over her shoulder to see the empty spot next to her. Kenshi had had an earlier shift at work than herself and had likely slipped out without wanting to wake her. Another groan left her when she finally decided to get up, and stood up next to the bed. She stretched out once again and headed towards the shower.

Dylan turned the shower on with a reserved sigh, letting the water warm up before stepping inside. She and Kenshi had been living together for several months, and she couldn't help but to giggle to herself, seeing all of the feminine touches that she had placed all around their apartment. There weren't as many as some of her friends would have done at their boyfriend's places, but it was just enough to know that there was a woman living there as well. Poor Kenshi hadn't stood a chance when he invited her to move in with him at his apartment. She had tried not to go too overboard, as it was, as he claimed, a 'guys' apartment. But he had to have known that she was going to put her little touches here and there. A few pink towels stacked up on the counter, her feminine hygiene products scattered everywhere. Poor man hadn't had a prayer. Although he hadn't complained about it either. Not that ever would, she figured.

Letting the warm shower water cascade down her body, she laughed again to herself, thinking back to when Kenshi had seen all of her bathroom stuff. He hadn't uttered a word, but the look on his face had been priceless. So confused, like he had no idea what half of the stuff she had was. The other Black Foxes had helped her move her things into Kenshi's apartment, and it had taken both Hiro and Riki to explain what some of it was. Both of them having sisters of their own, they knew exactly what each product she had was, and what it's purpose was. Dylan had laughed, and laughed now, at just how confused Kenshi had looked while they had explained everything.

But other than her more feminine bathroom products, she really hadn't changed the place all that much. Much to Kenshi's relief. Dylan had never really considered herself a 'girly' person, and was much more satisfied hanging out with the boys, drinking a beer than she ever would have shopping around with a bunch of caddy women. She liked watching football with Kenshi in the living room, or going to a tailgate with him. She cursed like a sailor, she yelled, did very 'un-lady like' things. But at the end of the day, Kenshi loved her all the same. He still treated her in his typical gentle-manly way, making Dylan feel like a lady, his lady, each and every day.

The water started turning cold, and Dylan hastily jumped from the shower. She swiftly dressed and did herself up for work and headed to the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat. The sweet aroma of coffee filled her senses and smiled, seeing that Kenshi had put on pot of coffee for when she woke up. He'd posted a note on the machine telling her to have a good day and the he loved her, and her smile widened. He really was such a sweetheart. She felt like a giddy high-school teenager as she filled her cup and went to the living room, clicking on the morning news to watch until it was time for her to leave.

Her thoughts drifted to wondering about how his arm was doing, worrying about whether or not it was hurting him. The gut-wrenching feeling that she'd had last night, after having seen his arm bleeding profusely, returned. She'd never seen anyone who had been shot before, and had never been shot herself. But seeing Kenny's arm, this man she loved so dearly, blood pouring out of his wound, had broken her heart. It had initially made her angry that he had tried to lie and cover it up, but she knew that it was just Kenshi's nature. Not wanting everyone to get upset. All he'd been worried about was her, and trying not to worry her. It was just so typical of him, putting her own needs and feelings above his own. With the help of Hiro, she'd managed to get it all stitched up, but she decided that when he returned home from work that day, she'd check it again to make sure it was healing up properly.

As she was sitting down, her phone rang in her pocket. She fished the device from her pocket and looked at the screen, seeing the name 'Pork Noodles' on the display. Rolling her eyes she clicked the answer button and put the device to her ear, taking another sip from her coffee.

"What's up Takuto?"

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked, causing Dylan to roll her eyes again.

"You called my cell phone genius. Caller ID is a magical thing these days."

"Sarcastic even this early in the morning I see. Well, I thought I called Kenshi's apartment."

She laughed. "Well you called me instead. Miss me that much already?" She loved teasing Takuto, making it her personal mission to torment him as often as she could. Mainly because he usually did the same to her, so she just liked keeping the score even. He was kind of like that annoying brother she never had, and since the two fought like they were siblings, it just made sense. Kenshi would often joke with her, calling Takuto her 'little brother'. A title Takuto despised. Or so he said. She hadn't gotten to pester him the night before with all the buzz from Kenshi's injury, but she made a mental note to make sure she made up for it later.

Takuto groaned on the other end of the phone. "What's to miss?"

"Oh come on Pork Noodles you know you love me."

He groaned again, and she was pretty sure she heard him add a gag in. "You're impossible."

Dylan smiled. "Oh come on. Don't be so stingy. You're always extremely grumpy in the mornings."

"I just haven't had my coffee yet there Dill pickle. Oh well, anyway, I needed to talk to you anyway." He replied, using his nickname for her against her.

"What's up?"

"I was just going to let you know that we managed to get the relics back to your museum last night after we dropped you and Kenny off. Everything should be in order." He said with a yawn.

"Thank you Takuto. Any word from the mob group?"

"Not a peep. Though I doubt we would. They know the Black Foxes did it, that's for sure, but they don't know who the Black Foxes are. So we're safe for now."

"Well let's hope that lasts. I mean after a certain point, they're probably going to try to look for us. We are hurting their bottom line after all." She answered, finishing off the rest of her coffee.

"You have a point. Although I doubt they'd want anything to do with you."

"Why's that?"

She heard him chuckle. "You're too annoying, idiot."

Dylan laughed and grabbed her bag, heading towards the front door. "Goodbye Takuto." She ended the call and poured the remaining liquid in the coffee pot into her to-go cup. She then locked up behind herself and made her way towards her car in the parking lot. Though it took her a little bit longer to get to work from where she lived now, she liked the area a whole lot more than where she used to live. The people there seemed friendlier, and there was more to do. Plus she got to be with Kenshi all she wanted to now, which was well worth the forty minute commute.

Sliding herself into her car, she plugged her phone into the audio jack and cranked the radio up. She loved listening to music on her way to work, especially sitting through some of the heavy morning traffic. Kenshi would often tease her about how loud she liked to listen to her music, blasting her speakers at the high volume. But the way she figured it, if you were alone, there just wasn't any point in listening to music quietly. Because if you did, people in the other cars might actually hear you singing along with it. But just as she was belting the verses from one of her favorite musicals, her phone rang again.

She quickly glanced at the display, smiling as she answered the call, sending the call to her speaker-phone in her car. "My I'm popular this morning."

Kenshi laughed on the other end. "Why do you say that?"

"First Takuto, now you. Must just be my lucky morning."

"What'd Takuto want? More to the point, what the heck is he doing up this early? I thought the bear didn't wake from his daily hibernation until mid-afternoon. Especially right after we have a late night mission."

Dylan choked on her coffee. "He just called to let me know that the relics got back safely."

"Well that's good, I'm glad it made it back to them safely. Have they called you about it?"

"No but I figured that they'll tell me that about it when I get in."

"Yeah probably."

Dylan turned the wheel, heading down a street that helped her cut off her commute by a few minutes. "So what's up with you?"

"Nothing much, just had a few minutes and thought I'd call and see if you were on your way to work."

She smiled. "I am, heading there now. Took me a little longer to get ready this morning that usual."

"Why?"

"Well, a certain someone left a hickey on my collar bone and it took me a bit to put enough stuff on it to hid it."

She'd have given anything to see the blush that was likely on Kenshi's face at that moment. "...Sorry about that..."

"Don't be. It was worth it."

Kenshi laughed. "Yeah, I guess it was."

She grinned. "So you at work then I'm assuming?"

"Yeah, just had a moment and I thought I'd check to see if I needed to get anything on my way home after work."

"You getting off early?"

"Yep. Do we need anything?"

Dylan bit her lower lip and smiled. "How about a repeat from last night?"

He chuckled on the other end of the phone. "I think I can arrange for that."


	4. Chapter 4

Much later that day and well into the darkness of night, Dylan found herself cuddled up against Kenshi. His warm body was pressed up behind her, and Dylan was just too comfortable for him to move. Both of them had had a restless night, unable to drift off into sleep, tossing and turning. Since they couldn't sleep, they'd spent most of the time holding each other. Making love. Talking. And now that Dylan could see the alarm clock on her nightstand nearing the time he had to get up to go to work, she didn't want it to end.

"Do you really have to go?" Dylan complained, hugging the warm arms wrapped around her even tighter.

Kenshi's breath tickled her ear when he chuckled. "Unfortunately here soon. But since I took the early shift, I get off earlier than I usually do."

She sighed exaggeratedly. "I still just wish you didn't have to go."

His lips pressed against her neck softly, sending a tingle of delight up her body. "Me too. Just a few more minutes, I want to hold you."

Dylan snuggled back further against his chest. "I'd like that."

They settled back into the sheets with a contented sigh, Kenshi's free hand coming up to toy with hers. Dylan smiled, watching their fingers play with each other leisurely. Lacing their fingers together and caressing each others fingers, like some sort of intimate dance that only their hands were privy to. Though much larger than her own, his hands were extremely gentle with hers, his touches feather-like but charged. Like a storm just before the lightning strikes. An electric charge that warmed Dylan's body and senses. Watching with lazy satisfaction, she deeply inhaled the scent enveloping her. Kenshi's smell. A musky scent that was pure masculinity in its truest form, a scent that stirred wicked desires low in her belly.

They were silent for a few moments before she felt Kenshi kiss her shoulder. "How long have we been together now?"

Thinking back, Dylan scrunched her nose up in concentration. "Almost a year now I think."

"Ah yes, that sounds about right. You want to do something special for it?"

She shrugged and turned her head to look at him. "Perhaps. What'd you have in mind?"

"We could try to do something a little more traditional, since most of our dates lately have consisted of take-out and a rented movie. Well, and sex of course."

"But of course." She purred, her eyes piercing his.

Kenshi smiled. "I could take you to a nice restaurant, get flowers. Maybe buy you jewelry."

She giggled. "You know what a woman wants alright. Quite the romantic, as usual."

"Only the best for you." He replied, his lips finding the sensitive spot on the nape of her neck.

She pursed her lip out at the idea, grinning. "I like it. You could wine and dine me, lavish me with ridiculously overpriced jewelry. The whole nine yards. I'll throw on a short little dress for you, maybe even try to seduce you later. It'll be a blast."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I like the sound of that. Maybe sometime this week?"

"Sounds good to me. You get off early on Friday too, don't you?"

"Uh huh." He replied with a grunt, his attentions directing back to her neck. Latching on with sudden new interest.

"Want to do it then?" She asked on a sigh, closing her eyes to enjoy the feel of Kenshi's lips doing wicked things to her neck.

"Sure... Hey, Dylan?"

"Hm?"

"I think I want you again."

"I can see that." Dylan replied, feeling his already awakened member pressing against her behind urgently. Nibbling her lower lip as she saw the look in his eye, she knew she wanted him too. She was insatiable when it came to Kenshi. She could never have enough of this man. She let out a moan as he cupped the naked curve of her breast underneath the sheets, turning her lips to his and claiming them. Lips gliding across each other sensually, Dylan leaned back into him. The softness and suppleness of his lips on hers had her gasping. On her gasp, Kenshi's sweet tongue probed into her mouth, searching desperately for her tongue. When they met, he caressed her, tasting of pure honey. One thing she could give this man, sweet lord could he kiss. His kisses were all consuming. Devouring her soul with the slightest of effort.

Heart pounding in her chest, he retreated from the recesses of her mouth, taking her lower lip in between his. How this man could simply destroy her the way he could, with a simple kiss, she'd never know for sure. All she knew was that was she was already writhing against him, desperation licking at the corners of her consciousness. The man had barely touched her, and she already felt mad with need. Kenshi's tongue lazily traced the outline of her lips, and she felt wild. Kissing her once again, his lips were suddenly demanding, asking all of her and taking everything she had to offer. A greedy kiss that seared her spirit with a raging fire.

Meanwhile, the firefighter's work-calloused fingers grazed the soft skin of her breasts, sparks of pleasure erupting each place he touched. He cupped her, the ample flesh pouring over his large hands and he growled against her. Her nipples pressed insistently into the palm of his hand, demanding his attention. The traitorous organ of hers. Had she ever wanted to even pretend to be aloof with him, her body would instantaneously betray her. Giving away her desire for him without her ever having to utter a word. Goosebumps arose across her skin, and his thumb rubbed across her sensitive nipple, earning him a helpless cry from her. Pleasure was an insignificant and trivial word compared to how he made her feel, the way his skillful fingers jolted her senses. It was a feeling that deserved a whole new word, hell, a whole new language.

His lips pulled away from hers and she whimpered with need, feeling like a wanton teenaged girl. Lustful eyes briefly met hers before his lips busied themselves by gently sucking at her collar bone, a place that would cause her to melt in his hands. She knew she'd have a mark later from it, but she didn't care. She wanted him to brand her, to show to others that she was his, and his alone. A possessiveness that she had never really know until she'd met Kenshi. But there was a lot about herself that she hadn't known until she met this incredible man. Things about both her mind, and body, that had her wanting, craving more from him. His touch was electric, sending jolts of lightning down her body, making her toes curl. It was almost unfair how he could do this to her so easily, and found herself wondering sometimes if she did the same to him. If she could tease his senses to the brink of breaking him into a million pieces, as he always seemed to do to her.

"Do you want me too?" He asked, trying to sound all dominant, but voice betrayed him and hinted at the slight vulnerability behind his question. How could he even have to ask her such a question? He had to already know the answer to that, the way her body practically threw itself at him? But Dylan always had loved that about Kenshi. That delicate naiveness that she knew stirred such love deep in her heart. The vulnerability that he only displayed around her, because she knew that he trusted her. Trusted her with his heart. And that knowledge utterly consumed her. He could try to act all rough and tough around the guys, but around her he was nothing but a teddy bear. Always placing her needs over his with such loving adoration that Dylan often wondered if she even deserved such happiness. She attempted to turn, to face him, but he held her still. Continuing to hold her on her side in a spooning position.

She bit her lower lip, a wistful look in her eyes. "Always."

He groaned at her response and lifted her leg, pulling it up and holding it there. She felt him prodding her entrance, rubbing his tip across her already soaked folds. At the feel of her wetness, Kenshi growled low in his throat, a sound that rumbled throughout his entire body, tickling her back. Nipping at her shoulder with his teeth gently, he sunk into her loving heat. Her body showing no resistance. Further and further he sunk in until he reached the hilt, seated fully inside of her, and Dylan cried out. Her lover was quite large, and he stretched her, even more than he usually did. But he held himself still inside of her, waiting for her to accustom to his thick invasion from this particular angle. They had never done it in this position, but Dylan found herself liking it immensely.

"You okay?" He whispered, sounding strained behind her. The utter tenderness in his voice touched her, and she couldn't help but to smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she did so. She turned her head back to look at him, pure carnal energy radiating from him. So much so that Dylan found herself unable to utter a word, but simply nodded and kissed his lips. He moved then, thrusting slowly into her, like he was trying to be delicate with her. She moaned in appreciation of the delicious new angle, clenching the bedsheets in her hands. With her free hand she grabbed his head and pulled it towards her lips, kissing him again with sudden ferocity that shocked even herself.

Their lips clashed, their tongues searching for each other. They slide across one another, in a sort of entranced dance that mimicked their movements down below. Her muscles clenched around him and Kenshi groaned loudly into her mouth, with her drinking in his voice. Her leg strained in the air, already exhausted in its awkward position up above. But Kenshi pulled it forward so as to help it relax, hooking his arm around it to ease her effort. A thoughtful move that was just so purely Kenshi that even in her daze of passion. His lips formed the words 'my angel' against hers, causing her to smile.

She whimpered his name, feeling as his restraint broke from behind her. His fingers dug into her leg, and he began pumping into her more intensely, more sporadically. He was lost in her, lost in his passion for her. The heightened pace pushed him even deeper inside of her, and his member repeatedly hit up against her most sensitive spot. Kenshi uttered a swear under his breath, a rarity that had somehow managed to turn her on even more. Her breathing quickened, and suddenly there wasn't enough oxygen in the room, only the sensations overcoming her body.

Tension began to build inside her, and she knew she was close. So damned close that she could taste it. She strained against Kenshi, wondering distantly if he was feeling as incredible and euphoric as she. Then, like a blade cutting through a wire, the tension snapped and it slammed into her. She cried out his name in ecstasy and continuously repeated it, chanting it loudly as she came. His name an answered prayer. White light clouded her vision, marvelous sensations wracking her entire body. The pleasure was just so intense that she felt like singing, like crying, like dancing, all at the same time. No, pleasure wasn't the word for it. No word in the English language came even close to what she felt in the moment, something only this man could give her. This man that she loved with her heart and soul. Nothing else could ever compare. Kenshi bucked against her, and she heard as he too was overcome with release, gasping with jubilant pleasure.

They both collapsed against the bed, panting as Kenshi released her leg, letting it fall lazily to the bed. Dylan began to giggle, the sensations so intense that it had simply amazed her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as they fought to catch their breaths, happy tears that often happened after they made love. Although she really shouldn't have surprised all that much. Kenshi was an adept lover, and always left her body weak from incontestable pleasure. Why Kenshi wasn't more cocky about his... abilities... she would never know. But then again, she wasn't sure Kenshi even knew how to be cocky. Her eye lids started to feel increasingly heavy, and she breathed deeply, feeling Kenshi chuckle behind her.

"You sleep, I have to get ready for work. I'll see you tonight honey." He whispered, pressing a kiss against her cheek before moving away. She went to protest, a sudden chill as his warm body left her side, but sleep quickly overtook her.


	5. Chapter 5

Dylan's eyelids fluttered open, a noise somewhere off in the distance waking her. She couldn't have been asleep more than ten minutes when she was suddenly awoken from her blissful sleep. Glancing over at the clock, she groaned. Yep. Not even ten minutes. She could even hear the shower running not too far away, Kenshi getting ready for work. Her eyes itching with the desire to return to sleep, she ignored the noise and turned over in bed, prepared to fall back asleep when she heard it again. A creaking noise, like you would hear in an old house when you pressed too hard against the hardwood floor. She sat up, holding the sheets against her bare breasts, listening intently while trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.

The noise gradually dissipated and she groaned. The apartment being a little older than her previous apartment, she was still getting used to some of the everyday noises that came from it. Kenshi hardly ever seemed to notice them anymore in fact. She remembered that the shower head in their bathroom would sometimes make this awkward groaning noise when someone was taking a shower, and she clicked her tongue against her head. Slightly annoyed at the bothersome noise. While she hadn't minded in the least parting from her old apartment, it had been newer in design than his, and was less creaky in the early morning hours. A plus right in that moment for her. But she sighed with resignation and stretched again.

Realizing she probably wouldn't get much sleep now, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. With Kenshi still in the shower, she could at least go ahead and start making breakfast for him before he left. She stretched her arms above her head, feeling her bare breasts jiggle at the movement. Her face immediately blushed, remembering her activities with Kenshi earlier. A soft giggle left her and stood up next to the bed, stretching her sore body again. Her body felt somewhat sore, and she giggled softly again, thinking just how worth the morning soreness was after a night like that with Kenshi.

Spotting one of Kenshi's large t-shirts lying nearby, she scooped the garment up and tugged it over her head. The garment was baggy on her small frame, something she loved about stealing her boyfriend's clothing first thing in the morning. She often stole a shirt of his when she went to sleep, so finding a shirt of his missing wouldn't exactly bother Kenshi all that much. He actually seemed to rather enjoy it if she recalled, thinking back to another morning when he'd caught her fixing him breakfast wearing one of his baggy t-shirts. He'd been late to work that morning, and she blushed again at the memory. Too lazy to retrieve her own underwear, she then snatched a pair of Kenshi's boxers from the laundry basket in their bedroom and pulled it on. She'd just toss them back in the hamper when she went to take her own shower when Kenshi left.

Birds chirped just outside, indicating the fast approach of the morning sun. But it was still dark outside, and not wanting to disturb Kenshi's shower, she felt her way down the hallway until she reached a light switch, flicking it on. She made her way towards the kitchen, deeply inhaling Kenshi's smell from his large t-shirt. She loved the way he smelled. It was comforting and gentle but masculine all at the same time, just like he was.

Hearing the coffee pot brewing, she knew he had already at least started up a pot, and mentally made a note to thank him when he came out. Her body suddenly screaming in need of the golden morning liquid, she practically floated towards the coffee pot. The sinful aroma inebriated her senses as she entered the kitchen. She licked her lips, reaching up into one of the cabinets to retrieve a cup. Her finger hooked around a second cup for Kenshi and she placed it on the counter for him.

She was practically drooling by the time the pot made it's little ready noise, and she eagerly snatched up the pot to pour herself her cup. She smiled as she heard the shower turn off in the other room. He'd be coming into the kitchen soon so if she wanted to make him breakfast, she needed to hurry. She wondered what she could make him that would be quick and simple, but would completely satisfy the tall fireman. Perhaps bacon and eggs? Yeah, that sounded good. Kenshi loved bacon in particular, downing several pieces at a time when she did make it. She quickly glanced up at the clock in the kitchen, yeah, she had time. He didn't have to be into work for another hour, so she should have plenty of time to make him a good morning meal.

She grabbed both of their cups of coffee and turned to take them to the kitchen table when she saw it. Him, to be more specific. Hiding in the dark shadows of their living room, but looking straight at her, was a man. Dressed all in black, his whole face covered except for his eyes, he just stared at her. Two orbs of deadly hazel. Watching her as if he were hoping that she hadn't seen him. But she had. And when she did, both cups went crashing down to the floor, and she screamed.

Upon her scream, the person immediately rushed forward towards her. His hand outstretched towards her menacingly. It looked like he was about to try to clap his hand over her mouth, but she dodged him, bending just out of his grasp and ducking underneath his arm. Jumping over the broken cup pieces and towards the living room, she backed away from him. Kenshi, hearing her scream, came running out of the bathroom like a bolt of lightning. His pants the only thing he had on. Seeing the person spinning around to come at Dylan again, he bolted towards the man, immediately throwing a punch into his face. The man's head whipped to the side from the force of the punch, but he rebounded with surprising strength. He blocked a few more of Kenshi's punches, attempting to throw in a few of his own.

Kenshi looked over at her briefly. "Get in the kitchen!"

Dylan complied and ran past the two back into the kitchen, where both her and Kenshi knew knives were readily available. She slammed open a cabinet and grabbed a large carving knife from inside, holding it up like a bat in front of her. But the fight in front of her didn't last much longer. The other man ducked another punch from Kenshi, and quickly spun around, throwing the front door open and sprinting outside.

Kenshi followed chase behind him, both of them running out into the hallway. Dylan remained completely still, the hot coffee soaking the floor and both of their cups shattered into pieces. But she made no movement to clean it up. Holding the knife out in front of her, she just listened intently. Listening to the sounds of heavy footsteps followed by Kenshi shouting for the other person to stop. But they apparently didn't, because she heard as the pounding footsteps slowly faded away. The knife wavered in front of her, a set of footsteps running back up the stairs towards their apartment.

Afraid that it wouldn't be Kenshi, she sat behind the counter, hiding her body with her knife at the ready. The footsteps quickly came up to the front door and threw it open, and she held her breath for a moment. But seeing Kenshi's head peering around the corner into the kitchen with a distressed look on his face, she sprang up from the floor and tossed the knife down. She ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her to him fiercely, lifting her up so that her feet came up off the ground, and he moved them away from the broken cups.

He pulled away to look into her face, running a hand over her cheek. "Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?"

Dylan shook her head, burying her face in his chest. "No, I'm okay."

He continued to check her diligently. "Are you sure?"

She nodded into his bare chest, the heat from his shower still attached to his skin. "Yeah, I'm fine. Really."

"I'll call Riki here in a minute. Tell him what happened..."

Dylan nodded again, looking up shakily into his eyes. "Are you okay too? He didn't hurt you either?"

He shook his head and looked down briefly at the broken cups littering the floor. "No, I'm fine baby."

"They're coming for us, aren't they?"

His grip around her tightened. "Maybe... I don't know. But we're gonna find out."


	6. Chapter 6

Kenshi called Riki to tell him what had happened, and it didn't take long before all of the Black Foxes were crammed inside their small apartment. Including Atsumu, who had been away for business the past few days. She and Kenshi had both called out of work for the day, both wanting to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"Did they take anything?" Atsumu asked, sitting at the kitchen table with the other guys.

"Nothing. Not that I could see at least." Kenshi replied, running a hand through his hair. Dylan placed a cup of coffee in front of Kenshi, having already given the rest of the Black Foxes a cup.

Riki nodded, then turned to look at Dylan. "Dylan, you saw him first. What happened when you saw him?"

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "When I turned around, he was just kind of frozen. Like he was hoping I hadn't seen him or something. And then the second after I screamed, he came forward towards me with his hand out. Like he was going to cover my mouth to keep me from screaming again."

"It was like he wasn't expecting for her to be here." Takuto said, taking a sip from his cup.

"Did he seem surprised to see you Kenny?" Atsumu chimed in.

Kenshi shook his head. "I mean, I couldn't really tell since I was chasing after him. But from what I could tell, no. He didn't seem all that surprised. Seemed more spooked to have been caught off guard or something."

Riki sat forward. "Kenshi, this apartment is still only under your name, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Dylan and I just keep forgetting to run up to the front office to add her to the lease. Why?"

"Because if we are being targeted, then the person who was here earlier only knew that you lived here, based on the leasing information. He would've had no idea Dylan was living here too, which would explain why he seemed so startled seeing her. Like he thought he'd gotten his information wrong and had broken into the wrong place."

Hiro shook his head. "But then why would he still run off if he saw Kenshi? If he was here for Kenshi, wouldn't seeing him make him change his course?"

"Not necessarily. Dylan startled him, and even if he did see Kenshi after seeing her, she did scream. Neighbors would have heard, and therefore could blow his cover if he did try to do anything to Kenshi." Atsumu said, glancing at Kenshi.

Takuto placed his cup on the table. "Still means that someone was after Kenshi. Meaning that they're getting information on who we are."

"But how? How could they possibly find out who the Black Foxes are?" Dylan asked, sitting down in Kenshi's lap, feeling as his arms wrapped around her waist.

Riki shrugged. "I don't know. But whoever it is has connections."

"Someone stopped by one of my classes the other morning asking for me," Hiro added rather shyly, "I had skipped to finish a paper and a friend told me about it later, but now knowing that someone was here for Kenshi, I think someone may have found me too."

"Well why didn't you say anything you idiot?" Takuto demanded, slapping the back of the younger Black Fox's head.

Hiro's face reddened. "I didn't really think much of it! My friend said it was just some large guy asking if I was in class today, and when he said that I wasn't, he just left. Again, it didn't really raise any red flags or anything for me until Riki called me earlier."

"This is bad. What are we gonna do?" Atsumu asked.

"I'm going to have use some of my own connections to see if I can find anything out. But as of right now, the Black Foxes need to go underground for a while. Call out of work for a while and lay low. Probably need to stay at LRN for the time being."

Dylan nodded her head and gave Kenshi a gentle squeeze before going to stand. "I'll go pack us a bag."

Riki grabbed her arm to stop her. "Pack a separate bag for yourself. You're staying with Tatsuro for a few days."

"Why?!"

"He's a cop, and he might know something as well. I'm going to need you to try to see if you can use him to find out anything."

Dylan narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going to use Tatsuro like that."

"We don't really have the luxury of simply ignoring resources available to us. I've already called him and informed him that you would be staying with him for a few days. He's agreed to help us for right now."

"You already called him?! Without even asking me?!" Dylan shouted.

Riki's eyes softened slightly. "Listen Dill, I know you want to stay with us, and with Kenshi, and you will I promise. But just for a few days, would you please stay with Tatsuro and see if the two of you can dig up anything, and then after things have settled a little, we'll bring you to stay with us at LRN. Sound fair?"

Dylan let out a deep breath. "Fine. But only a few days, and then I'm coming straight over to LRN."

Riki smiled. "And we'll welcome you with open arms, I assure you."

Dylan spun on her heel and went into her and Kenshi's bedroom, grabbing one of her gym bags and throwing clothes roughly inside. Taking her frustrations out on the defenseless clothing made her feel a little better about everything. She knew that Riki was probably right in his own way, but she just didn't feel right using her childhood friend like that. She'd known Tatsuro her entire life, and using him to get information just felt wrong in a way. Well, that and the fact that she really just didn't want to be apart from Kenshi. She was a big girl and could handle herself, but knowing now that someone had been in their apartment earlier with the goal of harming him in some way, had her wanting to keep him as close as possible. Footsteps lingered just behind her, but she didn't turn, continuing to throw clothing into her bag.

"I'm not a big fan of this plan either." Kenshi said, grabbing her by the waist and turning her to face him.

"I just think it's stupid splitting us up like that."

He smiled down at her weakly. "I agree with you, but I also can kind of see Riki's point. Tatsuro could dig up something useful for us to figure out who's doing this, and he'd probably be a lot more comfortable working with someone he's know most of his life as opposed to one of us."

She sighed. "I know. It's the right thing to do for right now, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

Kenshi kissed her forehead softly. "I don't either. So let's just hope everything blows over quickly, that way we can still have our anniversary dinner."

Despite the situation, Dylan found herself smiling up at him. "Yeah. I still have to pick out the proper dress to seduce you."

"I look forward to it." He chuckled, giving her a gentle kiss against her lips.

The two quickly finished packing their bags and made their way back into the living room, where the guys were waiting for them. Kenshi had agreed to ride along with the guys in one car, to minimize the number of vehicles parked outside LRN, and Dylan would drive separately to Tatsuro's place. Dylan grabbed her car keys and went for the door, but Kenshi stopped her, taking her car keys from her and handing her a separate pair of keys.

She looked at him curiously but he smiled bashfully. "Take my truck instead."

She squeezed the keys in her hand and laughed. "I like your truck better anyway. Better radio."

Locking up the apartment, the group headed down into the parking lot together. Kenshi held her hand tightly in his, a strong grip on her hand that silently assured her that everything was going to be alright. And it would, Dylan determined. Everything would work out just fine, and this would all just blow over in a few days. It usually did when anything even remotely close to what was happening now was going on. She just had to be patient until then. The group walked her over to Kenshi's truck, and Kenshi gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. She threw her things into the back and jumped into the driver's seat, watching as they headed towards their car. The boys were riding together in Atsumu's small sedan, an image that had Dylan waiting in the truck to see. Seeing them packed into the small car had her holding her stomach, laughing. Kenshi had managed to score shot-gun, with Atsumu driving. But seeing the other three boys trying to squeeze themselves into the back was amusing enough as it was.

Their cars started up, and both vehicles pulled out of the parking lot, with her following behind them. Unable to contain her small victory of acquiring the awesome radio that Kenshi had in his truck, she plugged her iPod in and started jamming out. Both vehicles pulled up to the red light, where they would head straight to LRN and she would turn right to go to Tatsuro's apartment. The light was red, and she tapped her hands against the wheel, along with the beat of the music. She looked down into the other vehicle, Hiro looking back at her and waving with a huge grin on his face. Giggling, she returned his wave, seeing as the light turned green just ahead.

And as their car started forwards, what she saw coming down from the opposite side of the road instantly had her stomach clenched like a tight fist deep within her abdomen. Another car, a much larger one, larger even than Kenshi's truck, was barreling down the road. Going mock nine down the road, and heading straight for the boys car in front of her. No, aiming for the boys. At the speed they were going, the light on their side red, there was no way that it wasn't aiming for them. And there wasn't any way she could warn them. No. But there was something she could do instead. Her foot suddenly felt like it was full of lead, slamming it down against the gas pedal, without even thinking twice. Her mind instantly had flipped on her auto-pilot switch, and she threw the truck forward.

The front of Kenshi's truck slammed up against the back of the small sedan, shoving it forward across the street. Then a great force slammed into the side of her car. Her side of the car. The air bags deployed violently, crushing against her as her car rolled across the pavement. The impact so incredible that it immediately sent her car flying, flipping the truck over and over again. Like a tidal wave washing over a sandy beach. Dylan's vision flipping from the ground to the sky several times within a matter of seconds. She was pretty sure she was screaming, but the sound of her car crunching and groaning around her completely drowned her out. A symphony of cataclysmic noise reverberating through to her eardrums. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the car continue to move underneath her. It all happened so quickly, and yet drug out for what felt like years.

When she opened her eyes again, the world was upside down, and she groaned. Glass was scattered around her, smoke coming in from where her engine was. Or once was. She couldn't be certain. While the whole front end of the truck was snarled up into oblivion, like someone had taken the front of it and wrung it through their hands. Or like it had been put into a blender and put on the puree setting. Either description unable to compare to how it looked to her, hanging upside down. It was amazing to her how the radio was even still playing, although it was just a crackling racket now, but she could still make out the chorus of her favorite song, the noise ringing in her ears melodically.

Still in her car seat, the seat belt cut into her skin, holding her down. Or was she up? Technically she must've been held up, her hair tickling her face as it cascaded downwards. Her vision wavered, her mind threatening to send her into unconsciousness, but she fought to hold on. She tried to focus on something. Anything... What was that in her hair? That sticky red substance staining her normally blonde hair...

What had happened? Everything had happened so quickly that it felt like a dream, like she was going to wake up in a moment and still be in bed, with Kenshi. Wrapped up in his loving arms. But she didn't. If anything, the pain that suddenly erupted from around her body, told her that. She cried, pain emitting from everywhere. So much so that she wasn't even sure where all she was hurt. Everything hurt. Her whole body felt like it was searing inferno of misery, every breath she took a reverberating applause of pure pain. A warm liquid oozed down the side of her face and dripped down onto her car's roof, below her. Red. Blood red. She was bleeding. But where from? She had no idea, which scared her even more. Loud sobs tore from her throat, the panic and fear pounding through her almost as violently as whatever had seemed to hit her car.

Distantly she could hear tires squealing, the sound moving further and further away. The truck that had hit her maybe? Perhaps. She wasn't sure. Sounds and blurs of light were starting to swirl together in her hazy mind. Then she heard Kenshi's voice, screaming her name. She wasn't sure where his voice was coming from. Her eyelids were to feeling heavier and she starting to grow weaker by the second, her voice completely lost inside her chest. She knew she needed to try to stay awake, but it was proving to be vastly difficult. She heard as glass crunched next to her, outside the confines of her totaled vehicle. A face appearing outside the vehicle, but she couldn't make it out. Her vision was beginning to blur once again. Unconsciousness began tugging at her once again, and her world went black.


	7. Chapter 7

"She must've seen them coming... pushed us out of the way."

"The doctor told me earlier that if a car of that size had hit us, we wouldn't have survived."

"... She saved our lives."

The voices echoed around Dylan, surrounding her like a warm blanket of familiarity. Was she dreaming? No, the voices were too familiar. She knew those voices. They sounded so close, within touching distance. Light poured into her vision as she finally opened her eyes, bringing herself out of the purgatory dream-land. She felt like she'd been sleeping for years, her mind groggy and weary from the mere effort of her consciousness coming back to the world.

Someone gasped near her, and something warm squeezed her hand. Was someone holding her hand? Her vision clearing, she focused on the person sitting next to her, the person holding her hand to their face.

"Dylan?!" The voice said excitedly. She knew that voice. Kenshi? Her vision focused once more, and there he was. His eyes were red and swollen but he smiled down at her, her hand pressed dearly against the side of his face.

"Ken...shi?" She whispered, her throat incredibly dry.

"That's right baby, I'm here! I'm right here." He said, joy radiating from his voice and causing her to smile weakly. A group of other bodies entered her vision, and she blinked wearily, seeing the faces of the other Black Foxes crowded around her. They all looked relieved and yet ashamed at the same time, worry clouding all of their eyes, and Dylan wondered why. She went to sit up in the bed to looked around, but a pain in her side prevented her, and she winced. Kenshi squeezed her hand and looked more concerned. He got up and sat on the bed next to her, cupping her cheek with his hand gently. Like she was a damaged doll he was afraid to break. Did she look as bad as she suddenly felt?

"Where... where are we?" She whispered.

"You're in the hospital Dill pickle." Takuto said quietly, handing her a cup of water. She graciously took the cup from his hand and downed its contents within seconds.

Hiro patted her arm lightly. "How are you feeling?"

She gave a short chuckle and groaned, her side beginning to throb dully. "God, I feel like I was hit by a truck."

Kenshi's expression looked pained as he gave her a weak smile. "Y-You were pumpkin."

Dylan stiffened and smiled despite herself. "Oh... yeah, right."

"Do you remember what all happened?" Riki asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I remember. It's not exactly something one could just easily forget."

"You saw that truck coming, didn't you?" Atsumu asked, his voice gentle.

She nodded. "Yeah. It was coming full speed and I just... reacted... My body just kind of moved of its own accord. I just knew that I had to push you guys out of the way... W-What happened to me?" Kenshi looked even more pained, bordering on anger, but he didn't say a word. He didn't look like he was able to say a word.

But Hiro responded for him, seeing Kenshi's face. "You broke three ribs, punctured a lung, got a pretty nasty cut from the glass on your forehead that needed fifteen stitches..."

Dylan mustered a smile, more for Kenshi than for herself. "That's not going to be fun for the next few weeks."

Riki smiled back at her. "Just means that you'll have us at your beckon call in the mean time."

She laughed softly. "I think I may like that. Hey, how long was I out anyway?"

"A few days." Hiro said, and the room fell silent once again. No wonder Dylan had woken up feeling like she'd been asleep for years, she'd practically been comatose for days. And no wonder the guys were fawning over her so.

Kenshi looked over his shoulder at the guys. "Hey, you guys think you could go grab some coffee for a bit? I want to talk to Dylan alone for a bit."

Atsumu patted Kenshi on the back and nodded. "Sure. We'll go grab some coffee, grab you another cup as well."

As the boys were leaving, Takuto turned and looked over at Dylan. "Hey, I'm going to get you that tea you like while we're gone."

Dylan smiled at him. "Thanks pork noodles."

"Welcome Dill pickle." He shouted over his shoulder as he ran after the rest of the Black Foxes.

She and Kenshi were silent for several moments, like they were trying to find the right thing to say. But what do you say to your boyfriend after you just wake up after being in a car accident? Especially to a boyfriend who looked almost as broken as she felt. She'd never seen him look so upset, or so... guilty looking. It hurt her own heart seeing him like this, and she stroked his hand with her own.

She looked up at Kenshi. "How... How bad is the truck?"

"Truck was totaled."

She winced again but not from the pain. "I'm sorry about your truck Kenshi, I promise that I'll..."

"I don't care about the damned truck Dylan," Kenshi interrupted, "I can always buy a new truck... I can't buy a new you!" He closed his eyes and lowered his head, holding her hand against his face. The sincerity in his voice reverberated through her, and she realized why he was so upset. She tried to put herself in his shoes, thinking about how she would feel if Kenshi had been in a car accident.

"Kenshi?" She asked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I thought I almost lost you there for a bit." He finally whispered after a few moments, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, you didn't. And that's the important part."

He opened his eyes and looked down at her, a wetness brimming his eyes. "But I almost did. God Dylan, I'm just... I'm so sorry..."

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong!" She soothed, reaching up and stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"You did that for us. For me. The guys and I probably would have died if you hadn't have done that. You got this way because of me!"

She lightly, and playfully, popped him on the cheek with her hand. "Now Kenshi Inagaki! I don't ever want to hear you say something like that again, you hear me? This isn't your fault. Not in the least. The people who were coming down the road towards you guys, and hit me, is responsible for this. I don't ever want you to blame yourself for this. Ever."

"But..."

"No but's! Would you have done that for me?"

"Of course I would have..."

"Then quit blaming yourself for this. You wouldn't want me to do the same if I were in your shoes, would you?"

He shook his head bashfully. "No."

"Exactly, so quit blaming yourself."

Finally, he smiled feebly at her. "You're my little angel, you know that?"

"I know. And damned proud of it." She teased, giggling lightly so as not to disturb her side. He leaned forward and gingerly kissed her lips, the taste of him so intoxicating that when he pulled away, she wished he hadn't.

He held her hand against his cheek, squeezing his eyes shut briefly. "I love you so much, and I was just so scared Dylan."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Now don't you go apologizing!" He said curtly, but with a smile, "You saved my life Dylan. And not just mine, but our friends lives as well... I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you for that."

"You can just get your mom to bake me one of those awesome cakes of hers and we'll call it even."

Kenshi laughed and kissed her forehead gently, making sure not to touch the bandage covering her cut. "I'm sure she'd bake you a hundred cakes if you wanted."

"Well with how hungry I am right now, don't tempt me. I might just call her up and tell her to fire up the ovens."

"The guys should be coming back around soon, I'll see if anyone can run out and sneak you in something good. Not this nasty hospital food."

"Be still my heart, you know me well."

"I just know that I have an amazing woman with a wonderfully healthy appetite for food. What could make a man happier?" He laughed, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

She smiled at him. "I don't know, what would make you happier?"

His expression darkened slightly, and he had a determination in his eyes that she had never seen before. "Me finding out who did this to you. That will be what makes me happy here soon. But don't worry honey, we're going to figure this out. And we're going to figure this out together. Just rest for now, I'll be right here beside you. I'll always be right here beside you love." At his loving words, Dylan closed her eyes, feeling as he stroked her hair gently, and drifted back off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

After she was released from the hospital, the group went straight to LRN. The doctor told her that because her lung had been punctured by one of her ribs during the accident, she was not to do anything too strenuous or it would irritate the repairs they'd made. He'd insisted on bed rest to allow her body, particularly her lungs and ribs, to heal.

The guys were all vocal about how they would cater to her every need, that they wanted to spoil her as much as they could. The idea normally would've had her completely delighted, reeling at the thought of these men at her beckon call had her almost giddy. But because they'd said it with such guilty expressions on their faces, she knew that they were probably feeling responsible for her condition too. Despite her weak condition, she made it a point to give them the same lecture that she'd given Kenshi back at the hospital. But she did sneak in the sentiment that she still wouldn't mind if they catered to her just a little.

Hiro insisted he take Dylan's place and see if he and Tatsuro could dig up any information, insisting heavily upon her recuperation. Tatsuro, after hearing of her accident, agreed to help with anything they need. Allowing Hiro to help him. But the rest of the guys made LRN their temporary home, piling up in the separate rooms upstairs so that Dylan and Kenshi got one room just to themselves, to let her rest. The medications that she had to take caused her to be drowsy and lethargic, so they were kind enough to give her and Kenshi some privacy by doubling up on the bedrooms.

It had already been several days since they'd gotten back from the hospital, and nothing had happened. Or at least that she knew of. She demanded to be kept in the loop about what was going on with the Black Foxes independent investigation despite her condition. Riki had told her that Hiro and Tatsuro were making decent progress with their internal search and Tatsuro's title opening up a few sources. Hiro had called to tell them just the other morning that they had managed to get some video surveillance of the road that they had all been on when the van crashed into Dylan. The other vehicle's plates were still a little fuzzy to read, but they were trying to clear the image up enough to see. And just the night before Tatsuro had texted her himself, telling her that once he cleared up with his superiors, the police would do an official arrest on whoever was responsible for the attacks on the Black Foxes. Discreetly and without revealing the Black Foxes identities of course, but it was enough to make Dylan happy.

She and Kenshi were now in their bed, watching a movie on the television that Riki and Kenshi had brought up just for her. Takuto had also even brought up a game console for her to play, with several remotes of course so they could all play together when Dylan felt up to it. They'd had a few gaming competitions together since she'd gotten to LRN, and they were memories Dylan knew she would cherish. But now, with the other three boys downstairs, Dylan and Kenshi were alone. Kenshi was further down the bed, his head in her lap as they watched the screen. Her fingers toyed gently with his hair, running the soft strands through her hand. She sighed contently, feeling Kenshi turn his head to look up at her.

"How are you feeling?"

She smiled at him. "I'm fine."

"Do you need your medicine?"

"No, I'm okay. I had some about half an hour ago, so I should be good for another few hours."

He nodded his head and gave her a gentle smile, turning his head and looking back at the screen, watching the movie with her. But he didn't appear to be paying it much attention. He looked more like he was staring off into space, looking at a region near the base of the television instead. Dylan was beginning to feel sorry for this movie. This was now the third time they were attempting to finish it, the same movie from the other night flashing up on the screen. But with Kenshi beginning to appear a little restless in her lap, she had a feeling that they would yet again, not finish this poor movie. She'd probably have to end up looking up how it ends on her computer later, just to finally know what happens.

"Dylan... I need to ask you something." Kenshi said, turning and moving himself up so that he was lying next to her, looking into her eyes.

"What is it?"

"I was going to wait until Friday when we were supposed to have our little anniversary dinner, but since that's obviously didn't happen, and especially after everything that's happened lately, I need to ask you this now."

"Okay..." She whispered, a curious smile crossing her face.

"Dylan... This may come out awkward, you know how I can be with words, so don't laugh, because I want to get this all out. So here goes," He cleared his throat before continuing, "I love you so much. I don't think I'd ever be able to even express an inkling in words how much I really love you. You are everything to me, my very heart and soul. I'd do anything for you. You know that right?"

When she nodded, tears brimming her own eyes, he continued, "I've wanted to ask you this practically since the moment I met you. And I know we only moved in together just a few months ago, so this might be moving a little fast for you, and if it is I apologize in advance. And this isn't exactly the romantic atmosphere I'd pictured when I asked you this. But I just feel like I'd die if I waited another minute to ask you..."

He pulled something from his pocket and placed it in her hands before finishing his sentence. "Will you marry me?"

Dylan gasped, Kenshi opening the little box in her hand to reveal a diamond ring inside. "K-Kenshi..."

"Again, I'm sorry about doing this so un-romantically, I just didn't think..."

"Yes," She said, nodding her head vigorously as tears fell down her cheeks, "Yes I will!"

Kenshi grinned widely and took the ring from the box, and placed it delicately on her ring finger. Dylan looked down at it, sparkling with grand elegance on her finger and she waved him over to her, too overcome with emotion to say anything more. She loved this man with her very being, and she was so incandescently happy in that moment that she didn't care what the future may hold. As long as this man was there with her, they could overcome anything.


	9. Chapter 9

A celebratory mood hung heavily in the air, however, as the news of Dylan and Kenshi's engagement reached the rest of the Black Foxes. The group had gathered downstairs in the main part of LRN, drinking and laughing together. Dylan, despite Kenshi's protests, had come downstairs with them, wanting to join in on the fun without everyone crowding around in one small bedroom. Hiro had even come over to join them in the celebrations. Dylan had protested at first, but everyone wanted to give toasts and speeches and such, that she finally gave in. Sitting at one of the booths, the group had their glasses raised for another toast.

Riki stood at the head of the table, his usual confident demeanor on full display. "As the Black Fox leader, I just wanted to have us raise our glasses to celebrate our good friends on their engagement. I know you two will be very happy together, and so we wish you the best of luck!"

"Cheers!" Hiro declared bubbly, clinking his glass against everyone's. The group took a sip from their champagne, except for Dylan who sipped politely at her sparkling apple cider since she wasn't supposed to have alcohol while on her medication. She smiled contently at Kenshi, who had his arm wrapped delicately around her shoulders, holding her against him. He caught her gaze and returned her smile, giving her a sweet little peck on the lips. Someone else clanked politely against their champagne fluke, and the two looked up at Atsumu, who apparently wanted to give another toast.

"My friends! Congratulations! We all know that you two were made for each other the moment you met, or at least by how much Kenshi wouldn't stop talking about you after meeting you," Dylan giggled as she saw Kenshi's face redden at Atsumu's statement, "But we all know that you will take care of one another and we just wish you a lifetime of happiness!" The group cheered again and went to take another sip.

"Oh! And to the children to come of course!" Atsumu added as everyone was drinking, and Kenshi coughed in surprise, causing everyone to laugh. His face an even brighter shade of red than before, Kenshi cleared his throat and laughed too, giving Dylan a bashful smile.

Dylan giggled at his innocent reaction, and snuggled more closely to him. She hadn't really even thought about that before, the thought of having children with Kenshi. She had never really felt the desire to have children before, but being with Kenshi, she was beginning to change her mind. She suddenly began to imagine having a house full of little rough-housing boys. Running a muck with an energy they only could have gotten from their father. Or maybe a daughter of her own. One she could spoil and dress up in pretty little dresses she herself wouldn't be caught dead in. A little girl that Kenshi would call his little princess, and dote on her with constant love and affection. Yeah, she could see it. Kenshi was really good with kids after all, it would only come natural for him.

Kenshi seemed to notice the rather dreamy like look on her face and leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "We can get in a lot of practice at least until we are ready to have children." Flames licked at her cheeks at Kenshi's oddly bold statement, and she giggled quietly.

Takuto gave an annoyed groan across from them. "Could you two please keep it in your pants?" Kenshi blushed and cleared his throat, causing the group to break out into laughter once again.

Dylan giggled, her face lit up with joy. She was so happy to have met and to have been a part of these boys lives. Despite how hard of a time they gave each other sometimes, they were all there for each other. Dylan had never known friends like that, or even family for that matter. Dylan hadn't exactly grown up in the most conducive family environment, having been raised by not one, but two alcoholic parents. Parents who were more interested in getting more booze for themselves than paying her any attention. She'd raised herself essentially, and she was not ashamed of that. But meeting this group of men, interacting with them and becoming friends with all of them, even falling in love with one of them, she didn't know how she'd gotten so lucky. She had never known such friendship and love could ever exist. But now that she did, she was grateful each and every day for it. Thankful to have such wonderful and loving friends.

Hiro picked up the now empty bottle of champagne and held it up. "Hey Atsumu, we got any more?"

"Yeah, I think I have a couple more cases of it out back."

"A couple cases? Jeez Atsumu, I know we enjoy drinking, but isn't that a bit excessive?" Takuto chimed in.

Atsumu laughed. "Oh no! I had ordered a couple of cases for the restaurant and this was just a bonus from that!"

"Need a hand bringing them in?" Kenshi asked as Atsumu stood up and headed towards the back.

"That'd be great yeah! Might as well bring in the whole thing if we can, don't want them getting bad just sitting out back."

Riki stood up. "I'll help too." Kenshi kissed Dylan's forehead and followed after Riki and Atsumu towards the back. They disappeared into the back, and Dylan sighed, finishing off the last little bit of her sparkling cider. She looked over at Takuto and giggled, seeing as he propped his feet up on the table and leaned back into his chair. Making himself quite comfortable.

"You don't want to help out there Mr. Pork Noodles?" Dylan teased.

"Not particularly." He grunted and took another swig of his champagne, and light smile touching his lips.

Laughing, Dylan turned and looked at Hiro. "So, did you and Tatsuro find anything out?"

"Tatsuro managed to clear the image up enough to get a plate number off the van that hit you."

"Who'd it belong to?"

"A shipping company that just happens to be owned by our dear mobster clan. Tatsuro got a hold of his boss and they've officially opened an investigation into them. He was trying to get the location of their local warehouse when I left." Hiro replied, downing the last of his champagne. The front door to the restaurant dinged as someone walked inside, a peculiar sound to Dylan so late in the afternoon. But it wasn't unusual for customers to barge into LRN after hours, as the food there was so good that Atsumu had people lined up out the door most days. The three were faced away from the door, but Takuto waved his hand exaggeratedly over his head at whoever it was.

"Restaurant's closed, come back tomorrow." He called out.

"We're not here for dinner mate." A rough sounding voice replied. Hiro and Takuto exchanged glances and sat forward in their seats. Dylan turned her head, a sudden knot appearing at the pit of her stomach. Three rather hulky looking men walked inside, coming towards them. Two of the men were about the same height as Takuto, possibly a little taller. One had sandy blonde hair like him, and the other with chocolatey-looking hair. The other man was extensively larger than the other two, beating even Kenshi in height, probably the muscles of the group. The brown-haired man held a shotgun in his hands, and Dylan gulped.

"We're here for you." The bigger one said with a grin on his face. Takuto sat forward and held out his arm in front of Dylan, shielding her. Hiro came over quickly and stood next to him, also trying to shield her. She looked warily from the two men in front of her, to the men standing across from them. In any normal circumstance, she knew they would've had no problem handling these three, even with their shotgun. But with her injured the way she was, she knew that they wouldn't stand a chance against them. She just hoped that Kenshi and them wouldn't come back soon, it'd be bad if they were able to catch all of the Black Foxes in one foul swoop, and she knew that.

"Don't you think your lady friend there can take care of herself?" The brown-headed one said.

"Oh no, I think that's the one that pushed the other car out of the way when we were trying to ram them." The larger one answered, chuckling.

Dylan could see Hiro's fists clenching into fists. "So that was you?"

"Yep. Thought it'd be an easy kill since all of you seemed to be in the car at once. Take you all out easily. But she got in the way." The brown-headed one shrugged nonchalantly, as if they were simply talking about the whether.

The blonde looking one smiled. "Where are the rest of you?" Silence from the three of them reverberated throughout the room.

Dylan shook her head finally. "We don't know who you're talking about."

The blonde smiled and nodded his head at the larger one. "Jog her memory."

The larger man came forward to grab her, but Takuto lashed out, shoving him away from her. The brown haired man stepped forward and hit Takuto in the side of his head with the butt of the shot-gun, grabbing Dylan and yanking her forward and into the larger man's grasp. She squeaked in pain as the jolt caused her side to throb painfully.

"Takuto!" Dylan said worriedly, seeing him waver on his feet from the force of the blow. Hiro leapt towards him, catching him before he fell to the ground.

The larger one peered down at Dylan. "We'll ask again. Where are the rest of the Black Foxes?"

"T-They're not here." She answered simply. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she could see the other three boys, standing just out of eye-shot in the corner. Riki was holding Kenshi back, whispering something in his ear, and Dylan directed her attention back to the men in front of her.

"Well then, we'll just have to settle for you three for now. We'll come back for the others later. Our boss would like to have a chat with you."

Hiro shook his head. "There's only two Black Foxes here, what do you need her for?"

The larger one's grin grew larger. "Nice try, but you really think we wouldn't find out who the only lady Black Fox is? An honor really. I'll admit, we didn't know it was her initially that we'd hit until later."

"It was you who broke into Kenshi's apartment too, wasn't it?" Hiro said, steadying Takuto on his feet.

The blonde one raised his hand. "That'd have been me. The girl surprised me at first. I'd snuck in the window to take care of your little fireman friend, but she came out of no where. After I'd left I looked more into her profile and saw her work history at the museum. And I knew then that she had to have been the female Fox. Too coincidental."

"And you also went to Hiro's class to get him too, didn't you?" Dylan asked, giving the three behind her a venomous look.

The brown-haired one chuckled. "Guilty. He wasn't there though so I'd planned on coming back later. Also went over to your hacker's apartment a couple of times, but he was hardly ever there." Takuto's face seemed to pale a little at the thought of one of the mobster's having staked out his house, but scoffed instead.

"So if it's our heads you're after, why haven't you just killed us already?" Hiro asked.

"Our boss put a slight bounty on your heads, but he'd like to have a little chat with you first."

"And if we don't go quietly?" Takuto growled, blood trickling down the side of his face from where the butt of the gun had hit him.

The brown-haired one pumped the shotgun, loading it and pointing it at Dylan. "Then it's going to get really sticky in here."

"Fine! We'll go with you." Hiro said quickly, holding Takuto up. The three of them exchanged knowing glances as they were led outside towards a van. They were in trouble this time.


	10. Chapter 10

"This is original." Takuto groaned as the men tied the three Black Fox members into chairs.

"Yeah, come on at least be a little creative." Hiro added, wincing as the blonde tying him down tightened the ropes binding his wrists.

"You three just sit tight. The boss will be here any minute." The larger one grunted, the three men stepping back and disappearing through a door. Leaving the three of them sitting in the middle of a room. A column of windows behind them let the rising moonlight shine in on her, illuminating the small room. It wasn't anything fancy, just an empty space that looked to have been previously an office area. They had brought the three Black Fox members to a large warehouse, where Dylan assumed their base of operation was. If what she had heard correctly from Hiro earlier, Tatsuro was trying to locate this very warehouse, and she mentally crossed her fingers.

Dylan's initial thought was that they could try to escape, but with only the door and the windows nearby, there would be no possible way to escape. Rope was binding into Dylan's skin roughly. Attempting to move her arms, her rib region protested angrily, unrelenting to her movements. She cried out and stopped.

"Dylan, don't push yourself! You're still hurt you know!" Hiro scolded.

"Well just what do you suggest we do?"

"For right now, nothing. No need to get our heads blown off for being rash. The guys know that we're missing and Tatsuro knows where this place is. We just need to wait."

"I don't know about you guys," Takuto said, "but I'd personally like to meet this boss of theirs. Possibly place an employee complaint on his little goons."

Dylan looked over at him. "How's your head?"

"Hard as a rock as usual. Little blow like that wouldn't do much to it." He answered.

She glanced around, trying to figure out where exactly they were when she heard someone opening the door. A tall man lumbered in through the door, closing it behind him with a grin on his face. As he came forward towards her, Dylan's vision centered in on him. Trying, yet again, to focus on anything but the painful sensations wracking her body, so she studied him. He looked to be as tall as Kenshi was, possibly an inch or two shorter. Dylan couldn't be sure from where she sat. Jet black hair was combed over greasily on the top of his head, making his hair look shiny in the dim light. The beginnings of a beard washed over his rather sharp looking jaw line, making him look older. More tired looking. But his eyes pierced into hers, two globes of the darkest emerald she'd ever seen.

"The Black Foxes, we finally meet." The man's deep voice rumbled, sounding almost amused.

"Who are you?" Dylan demanded, trying to sound fierce but failing miserably as the effort caused her head to feel light.

The man grabbed a chair from across the room and pulled it in front of her, lowering himself down into it. He crossed his legs eloquently, like that of an established businessman. The air of confidence radiating from him almost choking her. In fact, as Dylan further inspected him, he looked more like a businessman. Fancy label suit that appeared to be freshly pressed, expensive looking cuff links on his wrists, and a repulsive smell that could only be that of a high-end cologne.

"You must be the infamous female Black Fox. What a pleasure." He purred.

"Well you got us here, what the hell do you want?" Takuto said loudly, pulling the man's attention from Dylan.

"Yeah, and who are you?" Hiro persisted.

The man chuckled. "Fair enough, I guess I should at least give you that one. I am Kyoto, leader of this fine establishment."

"Some establishment." Dylan said venomously.

Kyoto turned his attention back to her with an amused smile. "You know, for someone who just survived such a nasty car accident, you sure are feisty."

"Feisty would be a nice way of describing how I am right now." She snapped.

The whites of his teeth emerged from beneath his lips as he smiled, and leaned forward towards her. "I like you, you've got gumption. Not many broads that I know that could take a hit like that and wouldn't be sobbing like a baby in the corner."

"I'm not most 'broads'."

He chuckled and licked his bottom lip. "I can see that."

"Um, hello? We're still here too you know asshole." Takuto said.

Kyoto chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, I am aware."

"So what do you want with us?" Hiro asked.

"Well I obviously want you dead, but I just thought I'd bring you all in for just a little chat. See how the Black Foxes felt about finally getting caught, and by the wrong end of the law. But all of you aren't here just yet, so we'll just have to hang out and try to enjoy each other's company. I'd rather all of you be here when I have you executed. More fun that way."

"You get your rock's off that way?" Dylan hissed, anger seeping from her.

Kyoto leaned forward and grabbed her chin with his long fingers. "I do find you quite amusing though. Might keep you around just for fun."

"Over our dead bodies." Hiro and Takuto said simultaneously, and Dylan gave them each a soft smile. Still as fiercely protective of her as usual.

Hiro smiled over at Kyoto. "Besides, I don't think Kenny would let that one happen. I'd watch out if I were you."

"Well see about that." He purred, releasing Dylan's chin roughly. Before she could ask or say anything else, a phone began to ring from what sounded like his front pocket. His grin widened and held up a finger to her, like he was signaling them to remain silent.

He punched the answer button, holding up the phone in front of her and showing her as he pressed the speaker button option, and sat back in his chair. "Took you quite well long enough to call."

"Took me long enough to get your damned phone number, no thanks to you." Riki replied casually from the other end. Takuto, Dylan, and Hiro all exchanged glanced amongst each other, listening on to the conversation.

Kyoto chuckled. "I do apologize for that. You ready to turn in the last of your remaining members? Or should I just go ahead and shoot the ones I have here while you're still on the phone? Although, I think I might just have to keep this Dylan girl around, she seems like fun. Got a lot of spunk to her."

"How about none of the above?" Riki said, the subtle ferocity in his voice surprising even Dylan.

Kyoto stretch himself, as if he was bored by the conversation, the action infuriating Dylan. "I don't recall that being an option. You and your Black Foxes repeatedly took things from me, and you're wanting what? Time? Sympathy? Because you're not going to get it here."

Riki chuckled. "Oh no, because as I see it right now, _you're_ the one in need of sympathy."

"How's that?"

"Well because, it seems that you only half-assed your little frivolous search for us."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Riki chuckled again. "Because you forgot one very important detail about one of our members, one of the members you do not have with you."

Kyoto raised an eyebrow. "What would that be? I was pretty thorough in my little investigation into each of you. Right now I have your hacker, your master of disguise, and your little contortionist. The only ones missing now are you, the fireman, and the older gentleman." But as he spoke, a red dot appeared on his body. The dot moving about until it focused in on his right shoulder, and Dylan smiled.

"Oh but you forgot one thing"

Kyoto chuckled. "And what's that?"

"Our fireman is also our sniper." He whispered, and a shot immediately rang out.


	11. Chapter 11

Dylan watched as a bullet slammed into Kyoto's right shoulder, sending him spinning down to the ground. He screamed in pain and grabbed at his wounded shoulder, writhing about on the ground in agony in front of the three of them.

Takuto rolled his eyes. "Serves you right. This was the lamest set-up ever by any self-respecting mobster I've ever seen."

"Where...? How...?" Kyoto seethed, clenching his teeth as he grabbed his shoulder.

"Oh, he looks like he's in pain. Don't you think so Takuto?" Hiro taunted, unable to help himself.

Takuto winced. "Yep, definitely looks like that one hurt him."

Kyoto's gaze met hers and a malicious expression crossed his face. "H-how'd they find you so quickly?"

"You seriously underestimated the wrong group of men," Dylan chuckled despite her pain, "They're gonna eat you and your men for breakfast."

"Why I oughta..." Kyoto started, reaching inside his jacket pocket and pulling out a gun. Dylan held her breath as he pulled it up and aimed for her head, the gun wavering slightly in his hands. She hadn't known that he had even had a gun with him. He hadn't tried to use it on any of them earlier, but then she figured that he was a mobster after all, she really shouldn't have been all that surprised. But another clear shot rang out around them, and Kyoto's gun flew from his grasp. He cried out in pain again, clutching his hand to his chest, a looked of bewildered confusion in his eyes.

"Kenny's a good shot as per usual!" Hiro said happily, leaning back in his chair.

"Jesus Dylan, did you really need to taunt him though?" Takuto asked, letting out a rough sigh.

"Me?! What about you two?!"

Takuto shrugged. "Witty banter as I see it."

Dylan heard a rough noise echo from the other side of the door, right before it was kicked open in front of them. Dylan looked up to see Tatsuro and Riki rushing inside, rushing over to Kyoto and tackling him. Both men grappled with the mobster, quickly restraining him. Tatsuro slapped on a pair of handcuffs and shoved him down roughly to the ground before looking over at the three of them.

"You guys okay?" He asked as Riki fought with her restraints.

"Yeah, we're alright. Your police buddies here?" Takuto said, scowling over at Kyoto who struggled against Tatsuro's firm grasp. Dylan's hands finally became undone and she rubbed her sore wrists, helping to untie Hiro as Riki untied Takuto.

Tatsuro nodded. "Yep, so you Foxes need to get the hell outta here before they come up here." As Takuto's and Hiro's wrists were untied, Dylan stood up and quickly gave Tatsuro a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks.

Tatsuro blushed. "The rest of my men are taking down the rest of Kyoto's men, so you guys need to scram."

Kyoto's expression was poisonous as he glared up at Dylan. "I should have killed you when I had the chance, but I can always try again next time."

A voice came from the radio in Riki's pocket. "I'll slaughter you if you even think about it."

Riki chuckled. "Yeah, I'd reconsider that plan mate. You royally pissed off Kenshi messing around with Dylan here, so I wouldn't tempt fate trying for her again. Or any of us for that matter. Kenshi's fiercely protective you see."

"I could try now." Kyoto said fiercely, straining against Tatsuro's cuffs.

"Move again and I won't hesitate to blow your brains out asshole." Kenshi growled from his end of the radio, and as it to iterate his point, the red flash of Kenshi's scope appeared on Kyoto's body, for him to see. She could see his adam's apple bobbing drastically as he swallowed, remaining silent. Dylan's eyes widened at the rather fierce sound in her boyfriends voice. She'd never heard him sound so angry or dark before.

"I got this ass, you guys need to go." Tatsuro said, nodding his head towards the door. She patted Tatsuro's shoulder gently once and turned, following as the rest of the guys made their escape. Following closely behind them, they snuck stealthily past the police officers scattered about the warehouse, trying to restrain the rest of the mobsters inside.

Riki pulled up his radio and held it up to his face. "Atsumu bring the van around, Kenshi meet us there."

"Got it!" Both men answered at once. The group ran around a corner and ducked underneath some boxes to avoid being seen by a few lagging police officers. A tightness started welling up in Dylan's chest, and she clenched her fist to her chest, trying to ward off the sudden pain she was feeling. Only a little bit longer and she'd be with Kenshi again, this whole nightmare behind them. Only a little while longer and this all would finally be over with.

But Riki seemed to notice her discomfort and looked over at her. "How are you feeling Dylan?"

"I-I'm fine!" She answered, getting up with the rest of them as they continued on outside. But Riki grabbed her and hoisted her up, carrying her.

"What are you doing?" She exclaimed, seeing Hiro and Takuto running along behind them.

"Your doctor said that your lungs were still healing, I'm not going to let you put any more strain than you already have on them. Kenshi would murder me if I let you get any worse than you already are. Just hold on for now!" He answered, running out into the crisp night air.

"Dylan!" A voice screamed in the distance. She turned her head to see the one thing she'd been waiting to see. Kenshi.

"Kenshi!" She whispered as he ran up to the four. His face was rather pale, and small bags had formed underneath his eyes. A sniper rifle tucked up underneath his arm, he hastily strapped it to his back and greedily gathered her up from Riki's arms. He held her to him then, looking down at her with such concern that it almost melted her heart. The transfer to his arms jostled her side and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep herself from crying out. The group jumped inside the van as it pulled up, and speedily made their escape, Atsumu quickly driving them away from the warehouse.

"Well that was... fun..." Hiro panted, leaning back into his seat.

"I vote we go on a different field trip next time. Like the zoo or something." Takuto agreed, trying to brush off some of the dried blood from his temple.

Atsumu shrugged up in the driver's seat. "Zoo was booked, sorry guys."

"In all seriousness, are you guys alright?" Riki asked, looking at each of them individually.

"Yeah, we're alright." Hiro said.

Dylan pressed her forehead against Kenshi's, hugging him closer to her body. They smiled at one another, the relief that both felt so overwhelming that neither was able to say a word. Their thoughts were reflected perfectly through their eyes, shining at one another. He showered kisses gently over her face, both of them too afraid to let the other go.

Takuto gagged. "Get a room."

"Oh come on, they just got engaged! Let them be!" Hiro said, throwing Dylan a sly wink.

Dylan giggled and looked over at Takuto, giving him a soft smile. "Hey, pork noodles, thanks about earlier by the way."

Takuto shrugged again. "Yeah, yeah, sure. No problem Dill pickle."

"You too Hiro."

Hiro waved her off. "It was nothing."

Atsumu laughed in the front seat. "Although, Kyoto sounded quite captivated by you Dylan."

Dylan groaned and buried her face in Kenshi's chest. "I always seem to attract the weirdos. Minus Kenshi that is."

Riki folded his hands behind his head and leaned back into his seat. "Nice to know everything's over with now though. That whole thing was starting to give me a headache." The group laughed, knowing how true that sentiment was to all of them.

"Are you really okay?" Kenshi whispered to her as the rest of the group kept talking, holding onto her like his life depended on it.

She nodded, rubbing a thumb gently across his cheek. "Yeah, I'm alright. I knew you would come for me."

The tip of his nose flicked across hers playfully. "Of course I would. You are the love of my life after all."

"And you're mine." She whispered back, pressing her lips gently against his.

"Let's go home." He said softly, kissing the tip of her nose.

She nodded her head and smiled up at him. "Yeah, take me home."


End file.
